The Linfield Christian Lions will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Temecula Valley Golden Bears at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
If Linfield Christian beats Temecula Valley with 15 runs on Saturday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. Linfield Christian was the clear victors by a 15-4 margin over Chaparral on Thursday. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Pumas recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Presley Sloniker made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Sloniker was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Charli Calas, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Autumn Cabrera, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one triple.
Linfield Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .581. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher in eight consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Temecula Valley put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They never let Valley Center get on the board and left with a 20-0 win. While the Golden Bears didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Charlee Carrillo looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Jaycee Branson was incredible, going 4-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in hits (four). Avery DePauw was another key player, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Linfield Christian's victory was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.4 runs over those games. As for Temecula Valley, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.
Everything went Linfield Christian's way against Temecula Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Linfield Christian made off with an 11-1 victory. Will Linfield Christian repeat their success, or does Temecula Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
